Was scheduled to play River Ridge on Sunday but found a much closer tee time late on Friday for Lakewood and jumped at the chance for an earlier return home after my round. Played with two friends fro... Continue »

Was scheduled to play River Ridge on Sunday but found a much closer tee time late on Friday for Lakewood and jumped at the chance for an earlier return home after my round. Played with two friends from the blue tees, two riding, one walking, with a $47 greens fee.

I've seen Lakewood in better shape years previous, but it's certainly far from its worst right now. You're going to find plenty of good lies during the day, but you're also going to contend with some thin ones - in or out of the fairway - and no shortage of dried out, unrepaired divots. There were also some soggy areas out there, but not too bad. Tee boxes were adequate and the bunkers (I was in LOTS of them) actually had good, playable sand, but not the fluffy stuff.

The greens were running pretty quick but so many unrepaired ball marks out there that it made it tougher than it should have been to sink relatively easy putts. They did hold good approach shots well though and looked to be healthy, but it appears that most of the damage is poor-golfer-etiquette-inflicted. Perhaps individual responsibility in terms of course maintenance is simply tied in with the cost one pays to play.

POP was pretty good throughout the beautiful February day as we closed out the round in four and a half hours. No cart service anywhere on the course but a nice snack shop at the turn and en route from the 2nd to the 3rd hole tunnel. Carts are basic with no frills and the mask protocols are heavily enforced at the pro shop and driving range.

Super Bowl Sunday is always one of my favorite days to play and this past one was no exception. While I would not tell you that Lakewood is in premium shape right now, it's a more than enjoyable round with a fun layout that gets the blood pumping.